Folding traffic gate



March 11, 1924. 1,486,183

J. H. FALER I FOLDING TRAFFIC GATE Filed 0013. l9 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. H. FALER FOLDING TRAFFIC GATE Filed t- 19. 1922 4 SheetsSheet 2 A TTORNEYS.

WITNESSES March 11, 1924. 11,486,181

J. H. FALER FOLDING TRAFFIC GATE Filed Oct. 19. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 III Illll llll-llllllll WITNESSES A TTORN E YS.

March 11 1924. 1,486,381

1 J. H. FALER FOLDING TRAFFIC GATE Filed 001' 19 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4,

WITNESSES (9) Patented Mar. 11, 1924..

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FOLDING TRAFFIC GATE.

Application filed October 19, 1922.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn H. FALER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Folding Traffic Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in folding gates, and has for the primary object thereof, the provision of such a device that is simple of operation, comparatively inexpensive of manufacture and when once installed is not liable to readily become out of order.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a folding gate structure that may be conveniently positioned at rail road crossings for effectively preventing passage of vehicles or pedestrains across the trackway', the device also being applicable to ordinary street crossings for similar purposes.

A still further object of the invention, is to provide a folding gate having novel operating means, this operating means being of an automatic nature and so simple of construction as to always be positive and eflicient in operation.

In gate members, for similar purposes, now almost universally employed, it fre quently happens that when the same are eX- tended to their closed operative position, they will be struck by speeding vehicles, thereby either totally or partially disrupting the same, which will necessitate repairs or the provision of an entirely new gate member. It is therefore a still further object of the invention to provide such a form of gate member that in its extended operative position, its normal tendency is to assume a position horizontally across the roadway, but should the same, at any time be struck by a swiftly moving vehicle, its construction is such as to allow the gate to be swung laterally across the roadway, whereby breaking of the same is prevented.

With the obove and other objects in view, as the nature is better understood, the same consists of a combination and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings and described in the specification.

Serial No. 595,662.

In the drawings Figure 1is a fragmentary front elevational view of a gate member constructed in accordance with the present invention, the same being shown as mounted in position at a street crossing, it being further understood that the device may be advantageously mounted at a railway crossing.

Figure 2is a front elevational view of the gate members and their supporting and operating structure, the gate members being shown in a folded inoperative position.

Figure 3-is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of the operating mechanism for the gate members.

Figure tis a transverse sectional view upon the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional. view upon the line 55 of Figure 1, disclosing a hinged connection between certain ones of the arm members constitutingthe gate for allowing the same to be swung out of position if the said gate should be struck by a vehicle.

Figure 6 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view upon the line 66 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of the fluid piping between the gate operating mechanism and the fluid storage tank, the controlling valves also being shown, and

Figures 8, 9 and 10are detail cross sectional views of the type of valve employed by me, the same being shown in different relative positions.

"With reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, there is disclosed a vertically disposed cylinder 1, having a cross web 2 therein dividing this cylinder into upper and lower compartments 3 and 4E respectively. Within the upper com partment 3, there is positioned for sliding movement therein, a piston 5, having a rod 6 centrally secured thereto, which rod projects externally of the said cylinder, through a desirable form of cap 7. Rigidly secured to the upper end of the rod 6 by a nut or the like 8 is a cross head 9 for receiving at the opposite ends thereof, the screw threaded ends of vertically positioned bar members 10. These screw threaded ends of the bar members may be secured to the cross head by securing nuts 11. Upon the opposite sides at the upper end of the cylinder 1, are suitably spaced ears 12 having alined apertures 12 therein for receiving the said vertically disposed rods 10 and for effecting a guide for the same. These spaced ears 12 are further provided with other alined apertures 13 adjacent their outer edges for receiving the upper ends of angular-shaped rods 14, the lower ends of these guide rods being likewise secured within a projecting ear 15, upon each side of the bottom of th main cylinder 1.

Upon the bottom ends of the vertically disposed bars 10 are screw threadedly or otherwise secured as at ldsleeve-like members 17 having an angular-shaped bore extending vertically therethrough, these sleeve members adapted for sliding movement upon the similar shaped guide rods 14. Laterally projecting ear portions 18 are formed upon each of these sleeve members and pivotally ecured thereto, are the lower innermost bar.

members 20, constituting a portion of the hereinafter described folding gate members. The upper innermost bar members of the gate are similarly pivotally secured as at 21 to block members 22, rigidly positioned between the above mentioned spaced ears 12, upon the opposite sides of the cylinder 1.

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, it will be readily noted that the gate members designated in general by the numerals 23 and 24, are made up of a series of interconnecting arms or bars 20 assimilating the well-known lazy tong structure, In Figure 1, the oppositely extending gate members 23 and 2 l are shown as adapted to be extended across a roadway A and a sidewalk B respectively for effectively preventing passage of pedestrians or vehicles thereacross. Adjacent arms 20, and 20 constituting a portion of the gate member 23 are substantially elongated and reversely curved as at 25, and have pivotally secured at the outer ends thereof, adjacent bar members 26 of a still further lazy tong arm 27, the lower end of which carries a roller castor 28 for engagement upon the surface of the roadway A. when the gate member 23 is extended to anopen position as in Figure 1. The arm member 29 carrying the said roller castor is'positioned through an extension 30 in one of the bars forming the lazy tong 27, and has engaging therearound a relatively small coiled spring 31, normally maintaining the castor in a longitudinal position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gate 23, the nature of this spring however, being such as to allow the roller member to have a relative swivel movement upon its support for purposes hereinafter described.

As above mentioned, the castor carrying arm 27 is of a lazy tong structure adapted to fold upwardly as clearly shown in Figure 2, when the gate member 23 is extended to its closed inoperative position. This folding action being accomplished by the con nection of two of the link members to the oppositely extending portions 25-25 of two of the specified links forming the gate 23. As more clearly shown in Figure 1, the ad-v jacent links 20 and 20 are net pivotally joined, but are connected by a strap member 25 carrying rollers 26 at its opposite ends for riding upon the edges of the said links 20 and 20 when the gate 23 is moved to open and closed positions.

It oftentimes happens that when gate members of the usual type are employed for the present purposes, the same will be struck by a vehicle, when they are in a closed position, either totally or partially disrupting the same. I have therefore provided for the gate 23 an improved form of construction whereby this gate member is, although normally when in an open position extending across the roadway, the same may be swung laterally across the roadway if it ever happens that a vehicle should engage the same. This latter mentioned construction is more fully set forth in Figure 5, and constitutes a pivotal structure between adjacent ends of two of the barmembers 20. of the gate. As shown, this pivotal structure embodies a two-piece hinge having one section 32 centrally positioned within one of the bars 20 by rivets or the like 33, the other section 34 of the hinge being similarly disposed within the adjacent end of the other bar 20, these hinge sections having the usual interconnecting ball and socket members 35 and 36 respectively. Secured to one of the bars 20 by the hinge section securing rivets 33 and upon the opposite sides of this bar are relatively long curved leaf spring members 37, the outer free ends 'of which are curved outwardly so as to suitably space these outer ends of the said springs from the heads of the inner adjacent rivets 33 for purposes readily apparent. 'Inwardly of the outer ends of these springs, the same contacts upon the face of the adjacent bar 20 for normally retaining these bars in alined position, but allowing a relative swinging movement of the gate 23 upon its pivot, should this gate member be struck by a vehicle or the like.

A fluid inlet pipe 38 hascommunication with the upper end of the cylinder, for conveying the fluid into the chamber 30 of the cylinder above the piston and forcing the same downwardly whenever it is desired to close the opposite gate members. Another inlet pipe 39 extends centrally through the lower compartment 4- in the cylinder 1 having its outlet 39 immediately beneath the piston 5 in the upper compartment 3, the" upper end of this inlet pipe 39 being screw threaded for screw threaded engagement within an opening provided in the cross head 2 of the cylinder 1.

In Figure 7, I have disclosed a compressed air tank 40 having connection with an air compressor 41 driven by an electric motor 42 for actuating the said compressor for filling the tank 40. An outlet pipe 43 from the tank 40 has communication with a series of branch pipes 44, these pipes each adapted to lead to a gate operating means as in several of the figures. If desirable, any number of the gates may be actuated by the single source of supply 40, these gates adapted to be positioned at different highway crossings or the like, and each to be controlled separately. In a diagrammatic view, Figure 7, I have shown only one piston and cylinder construction being connected to one of the pipes 44, but I wish it to be understood, that it falls within the spirit and scope of the present invention to have a similar cylinder and piston construction for association with gate members connected to the other outlet pipes 44.

Interposed between each of the fluid pipes 44 and the upper and lower inlet pipes 38 and 39 respectively, is a two-way valve structure hereinafter described. These two-way valves designated in general bv the numeral 45 constitute an annular casing 46 with a plurality of hollow nipples 47 formed thereon and equidistantly spaced therearound. For rotary movement within the casing 46, is the valve core 48 provided with a pair of suitably spaced curved bores 49. The curvature of each of these bores 49 is such that the opposite ends of each will communicate with two adjacent nipples 47 when the core 48 is rotated to several set positions. As shown, three of these nipple members 47 are internally screw threaded for receiving therein the screw threaded ends of the fluid pipes 44, 38 and 39. It will be clearly understood by a careful perusal of Figure 7, that the inlet ipe 45 from the pipe 43 having connection with the tank 40 is received within the central one of the screw threaded nipples 47, the inlet pipe 38 above the piston to the top nipple and the inlet pipe 39 beneath the piston to the lower nipple. The remaining nipple is not necessarily screw threaded as the same affects an exhaust nipple as clearly shown in the last mentioned figure. When the valves are positioned as shown in this figure, communication will be established between the pipe 44, and the inlet pipe 88 above the piston 5 within the compartment 3 for forcing the same downwardly to consequently close the oppositely extending folding gate members 23 and 24. Any air that has previously been trapped between the under surface of the piston 5, and the cross wall 2 of the cylinder 1 will be forced outwardly through the pipe 39 through one of the curved bores 49 in the core 48 to conse quently dischar e through the exhaust nipple upon the valve casing 46. The position of the valve for effecting this above described operation is clearly shown in Figure 9, and as a means for forcing the air through the inlet pipe 39, having its outlet beneath the piston 5, the valve is positioned shown in Figure 8. A still further position of these valve members 45 is set forth in Figure 10, and in this figure, the bores of the core 48 are shown in an intermediate position, and not as having communication with any of the nipples 47. The core member 48 assumes a position as shown in this last mentioned figure when the gate members 28 and 24 are extended to either an open position or folded to a closed position and thereby are retained until a further operation is required.

Minor changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as claimed.

IVhat I claim as new is 1. In automatic gates, a vertically disposed cylinder, having a piston freely movable therein, a rod carried by the piston and projecting outwardly of the upper end of the cylinder, a pair of vertically disposed rod members secured to the projecting end of the piston rod and being so connected to a pair of oppositely extending folding gate members as to actuate the same and an extensible roller carrying arm secured to one of the gate members and adapted to be extended to an operative position when the gate is open.

2. In automatic gates, a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for controlling the movement of the piston, a pair of oppositely extending folding gate members supported upon the cylinder, a cross head secured to the piston and movable therewith, a pair of depending rod members carried by the cross head, and connections between certain ones of the inner link members forming the gates and the said rod members, whereby movement of said rod members will control the opening and closing of said gates.

3. In automatic gates, a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for controlling the movement of the piston, a pair of oppositely extending folding gate members supported upon the cylinder, a cross head secured to the piston and movable therewith, a pair of depending rod members carried by the cross head, connections between certain ones of the inner link members forming the gates, and the said rod members, whereby movement of said rod members will control the opening and closing of said gates, and means for normally preventing relative swinging movement thereof.

4. In automatic gates, a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for controlling the movement of the piston, a pair of oppositely extending folding gate members supported upon the cylinder, a cross head secured to the for normally preventing v relative swinging piston and movable therewith, a pair of demovement thereoflfurther means being pro- 10 pending rod members carried by the cross vided for one of the gate members whereby head, connections between certain ones of the same may be forcibly moved laterally the inner link members forming the gates, across'the roadway.

and the said rod members, whereby move In testimony whereof I afix my signature. ment of said rod members W111 control the opening and closing of said gates, and means JESSE H. FALER. 

